Maple Tree
by Jamie Lane
Summary: A few days after the big kiss between Lois and the 'Green Arrow.'


Maple Tree

She had thought about this all day. Every second, every moment. That kiss had just blown her mind, she wanted more. She walked into the kitchen expecting to see him sitting at the counter, sneaking bites of his Mom's food but he was no where to be found.

"Mrs. Kent? Where's Clark?"

Martha turned away from the stove after placing the turkey on the island. She threw her oven mitts down and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

"I don't know. He needs to be getting in if he wants dinner."

Lois let out a small laugh and walked over to the refrigerator. "It's not like him to miss a meal, the boy eats like a horse." She turned. "He's on the farm right?'

"Yeah he's out there somewhere. Maybe you should go check the fields."

"He's probably with the cows or something."

She walked a good 2 miles, she observed, up and down hills, over fences and still no site of her favorite plaid wearing farmboy. She sat down under the only tree around and looked around the property exhausted and hungry. 'Clark Kent if I ever find you I'll kill you for making me wait to eat.'

Thunk.

Something just hit her on the head. She put her hand on the spot and rubbed it, looking up with squinted eyes for the culprit. She could have swore she saw someone running across the branches.

Plop.

"Ow." She mumbled as another hit her head. She looked up again and heard a faint snicker. Awfully familiar snicker it was. With a smirk she grabbed the nearest limb and made her way to the top. She sat down on the sturdiest branch and leaned her head against the tree and waited for the appearance he was bound to make.

Right on cue a limb above her snapped and she felt the limb she sat on shake. She turned her head slightly to see his face looking out. No smile to be seen.

'I came here for a reason other than gauking.' She watched him for a minute despite the fact here mind was telling her to stop. For the last few days he had been avoiding her and to her surprise she missed. She had to say something.

Tough Lane? Check. "Smallville! God! Do you always have to be so stupid?"

He smiled but continued to avoid her gaze. He made a good foot between them, he wasn't ready to get this close to her. "Is that a trick question?"

"Shut up. Oh, your mom said it's time for dinner. Of course that was 2 hours ago...hm..."

"I told my mom I'd be in this tree."

Lois looked around. "And why are you in this tree when you should be in the house eating? Or in the loft brooding? Or maybe even in the bath tub, thinking dirty thoughts? Possibly imagining me naked?" She laughed as his face reddened.

He shook his head. "I already know what you look like naked Lois. I don't have to imagine."

She turned her head to the side. "So you admit it then? You think dirty thoughts about me? Bad farm boy. Bad." She punched him on the shoulder and he took it. His smile dropped and his gaze adverted back to looking around the tree.

"When I was little my dad told me that this tree had been in the Kent family since his dad moved here. That it's a place of solitude. A place that can listen to all your secrets when you think the world is getting too hard on you." He looked down at the ground. "My mom always told me that life only gives you as much as you can handle. That sometimes everything seems like too much, but you'll get through it." He stood and started up the tree again, Lois following.

She kept her silence and listened. She was waiting for him to say it. To say what she came here for.

He stopped again on another branch and pulled her up, helping her balance before he continued. "You told me in my place of solitude that keeping secrets was just a loop hole in the 'Thou Shall Not Lie' clause. That it's totally retarded to keep secrets from the ones you love." He sat down and she followed suit.

"I got to thinking about everything that I've been told. This tree isn't a place that I can tell me secrets too; I'm not a true Kent. That life can put too much on me, because I somehow ask for it." But he got quiet after that. He didn't banish Lois's words.

"And what about what I said? Don't you have a way to dismiss that too?"

He bit his lip and shook his head. "The more and more I think about it makes me realize that everything you said is true. That keeping secrets is a loophole and it is totally retarded. You've made me realize that my friends deserve the truth." He faced her. "Lois, I'm not who you think I am."

She put her hand in his and held it. "I know who you really are Clark. You're the Green Arrow."

He shook his head. "No..."

She raised her hand and cut him off. "And it's perfectly ok. I may not agree with everything you do but hey. I knew you had a hero complex for a reason!" She smiled.

He raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm the Green Arrow?" She shook her head. "Lois. I'm not the Green Arrow."

She laughed. "Clark you don't have to keep hiding! I know it was you! You've got that mole on you right cheek right where he did! You're as tall and as built as he was. It was you! I know it. So don't keep hiding ok. I'm some one you can trust."

He let out a frustrated sigh and let go of her hand. He stood and jumped down from the limb and climbed his way down the tree.

"Smallville wait up! I didn't mean to scare you away! Will you stop!" She was trying to keep up with him but God was he a monkey in a past life or something? She finally hit the ground and had to run just to keep up with him. She grabbed his arm and he kept walking. "Clark, stop." She pulled at him.

He turned on her. "What is it going to take for you to believe that I'm not him?"

She smiled. 'I've been waiting for this.' "He kissed me."

"I kissed you. Yeah I do admit that."

She stepped closer. "He saved me from the goons."

"I saved you."

"You stole that necklace from your mom cause you don't like Lionel."

"No! I would never steal from my mom or anyone. No matter if it is from him."

She looked at him confused. "But you kissed and you saved me?"

"Yes."

Her eyes widened in realization. "You were covering for Oliver weren't you!" He turned away. "Clark! How could you do that to me?"

"Lois I don't have to explain myself."

"Oh buddy. Yes you do." She ran around in front of him. "He hurt me and you protected him. What kind of friend would let me live out some sick fantasy about how good of a boyfriend I have when really he's a robber!"

He shut his eyes and let out a sigh. "I covered for him because he asked me to. I don't agree with everything he does either but at least he's trying to make a difference in the world. I didn't let you live down any fantasy Lois. He really is a good man."

She rolled her eyes. "A good man that just broke up with me and left for Star City for reasons untold."

"He left?"

"Said he had to get back to business. That my heart wasn't in the relationship anymore."

"Was it?" He prodded carefully.

"Of course it was!" She said but lacked the enthusiasm needed to convince him.

"Lois."

"Ok fine. I love him, yeah I do. But I just kept thinking about that kiss. And the more and more I thought about it, the more I wanted to catch the guy and kiss him again. I looked into to it. I found the pictures Jimmy took. I compared the one's of you to the one's of the Green Arrow. Two different people. So I got to thinking and one thing led to another and now I'm here!" She started pacing. "I don't know what's going on with me here! I wanted nothing more than to find you and just kiss your brains out! I feel so out of control! And let me tell you! I don't like it." She turned back to him to see him laughing.

"I'm from Krypton." He said with a smile.

She stopped pacing and looked at him like he was crazy. "What the hell was that?"

"An endearing quirk?"

Her mouth dropped. She walked towards him. "And what makes this even funnier is that you're serious. Right?"

"It should yeah."

She tried to mull things over for a minute then opened her mouth to speak. "What is Krypton?"

"Was...a planet."

"Was." She looked at him skeptically.

He nodded. "Was."

"So this was a planet, that you're from."

"Yes." He waited a few seconds. "Endearing quirk?"

She looked up at him and smiled. "What are can you do?"

And so he listed it all, one thing after another until her questions died out.

"You ok Lois?"

She looked at him questioningly. "Are you ok Clark?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're from another planet, last one of your kind. You have powers that you hide. A fear that no one will love you. And not to mention a serious need to take the blame for everything that goes wrong with the world."

"It becomes a burden sometimes yes."

"And how do you live with it?"

He looked up to the loft. "Hence the brooding."

She smiled. "Makes since." She stopped and grabbed his arm and gave him a once over, stopping at his crotch and giving it a wicked stare.

He quickly became uncomfortable. "What are you doing?"

She smiled. "Being an alien should surely explain why you're so huge!"

He turned red. "Lois..." He growled.

"Woah there Clarkie."

"Heehee. You're so funny." He looked into her eyes and felt an overwhelming urge to kiss her. And so he took a risk and leaned in. He stopped when he brushed against her and opened his eyes. Hers were already closed and waiting. He kissed her tenderly and wrapped his arms around her. Hers moving to his neck.

They never heard the kitchen door open. "Kids the food is cold." She said with a laugh. She walked back in the house and they looked at each other with embarrassment.

"Microwave is mine Smallville!" She said taking off running. She turned her head and looked around, he was no where to be found. "YOU CHEATED!!!"

He laughed and stuck his plate in the microwave. The maple tree visible from the window was shaking. He swore he could see his father looking down from the top, laughing.


End file.
